We are Ivy League-educated computer scientists, product makers, and startup founders with an intense passion for building awesome things

We operate end-to-end, because it makes better products

Rhombus doesn't just deliver lines of code like a traditional development company. Instead, we guide you through the entire end-to-end process: Idea Formation & Optimization, UI/UX Design, Technology Development, Growth Strategy, and Monetization. We believe that the best products are built with the entire process in mind. Most development companies miss this or don't care. For them, "through-put" is the driving metric. For us, "completeness of vision" is everything. If all the pieces don't come together, you end up with a poorly designed piece of technology, or a beautifully designed product that the market doesn't want. If you create the pieces in isolation, they will never fit together in a way that matters. Thus, we only take on projects where we can create a truly end-to-end partnership.

We obsess over designs, before we ever write a line of code

One of our biggest frustrations with other development companies is their neglect for good design. We believe that great and thoughtful design is the driver of great products, and so we attack all our projects from a design-first mindset. Importantly, we aren't just going to regurgitate popular design themes for your app or website. We will start from scratch to determine the design pattern that best matches the product you are trying to deliver. Sure, this might include some common elements, but it might not. We don't care. Instead, we care about designing with intention. For most products, interface and experience design is the differentiator, and yet most development shops breeze through this. We refuse to write a line of code until we nail your designs because we believe it matters that much.

We are computer scientists, not just "coders"

There is a big difference between "coders" and "computer scientists", and we believe the only way to build great technology products is by leveraging world-class computer science. Simple as that. Most development companies deliver products solely built on reused code. We don't think there is anything wrong with reusability, but it's not enough. To create something new and great, you need to lead with original technical insights, not copy-and-paste execution. Rhombus is powered by Ivy League computer science and math degrees, and we put these degrees and technical chops to work every day, ensuring your product is built on the best technology.

We aren't constrained by an in-house team

Rhombus uses a very different model to develop your product. We've dubbed this model "Startup As A Service". This basically means that we build and manage a custom team specifically for your project (instead of using the same in-house team for every project). We get that different projects require different strengths, so we want to assemble a team that perfectly complements your project. Your startup team is constructed from the best designers, developers, computer scientists, data scientists, copywriters, marketers, and product managers. When we say "the best", we mean it. We interview, hire, and manage talent across every timezone to ensure that we find the right people and perspectives for your project. We take care of this all behind the scenes, so you don't have to. You work with your dedicated Product Manager (your single POC at Rhombus) to set the vision and strategy (after all, you are the CEO), and the Product Manager works with the team to make it happen. We think this model is incredibly powerful.

We are ruthlessly honest

Most development companies will build whatever you tell them to. We won't. We only work with clients when we believe in their vision. If we don't, we aren't afraid to tell you and help you refine your vision so we do. Other times, it's just not the right fit and we aren't afraid to tell you that either. We aren't going to tell you what you want to hear. We are going to tell you what you need to hear. This is the only way to build great products. If you are looking for a strictly executional machine, we are not the right company for you or your project. If you are looking for a fully invested partner, then you will love our honesty.

Max Deutsch, founder of Rhombus

Max is a Professional Startup Consultant based in San Francisco, specializing in product management and monetization strategy.

He holds two degrees from Brown University: One in Mathematics, with a focus on Algorithm Design, Cryptography, and Computation. The other in Behavioral Economics, with a focus on Consumer Behavior, Price Theory, and Financial Engineering. He has additional expertise in Computer Science (specifically machine learning and artificial intelligence) and User Experience Design.

Max began his career at Silicon Valley-based software giant Intuit (maker of QuickBooks, TurboTax, Mint) as a Product Manager for the QuickBooks Mobile and Web team. There, he worked closely with world-class engineers, designers, and business strategists to help build, launch, and scale a number of multi-million dollar software products. He also acted as an Internal Idea Consultant, filing 15 tech patents per month on Intuit's behalf.

Additionally, Max has founded and scaled a number of tech companies in the payments, education, productivity, and biotech spaces. Perhaps, most notably, he co-founded Toggle Medical Systems, a software company built in collaboration with the NYU Langone Medical Center. Toggle develops software (for the Cochlear Implant device) that enables deaf patients to perceive and enjoy music. Max has since exited from the company, but many of Toggle's primary innovations are now clinical procedure in Audiology Labs around the world.

Based on his startup success and contrarian thinking, while Max was still in college, he began consulting for major corporations and fast-growing startups. At Weebly, the YC-backed web hosting company, Max worked with the Chief Product Officer to optimize Weebly's pricing strategy and subscription model. At Fidelity Investments, the finance and technology firm with $5 trillion in assets, Max worked with Fidelity's Technology and Innovation team to design and launch the Luminex Trading platform. At Noodle.com, the NY-based education technology company, Max worked with the Head of Business Development to create a robust and scalable growth strategy.

Max is an obsessive learner and thinker, reading approximately 100 books per year. Around the office, he's known for solving Rubik's Cubes with his eyes closed, memorizing the order of a shuffled pack of playing cards, or speeding through a NYT crossword puzzle.